I’m an Android…

 

I wrote recently about the whole Apple vs Android thing and announced I was not in either camp. Recent family issues have meant I’m on the phone a lot more now and the “pay as you go” thing just isn’t making sense. I ventured into the murky world of phone contracts and came out with a HTC Wildfire, which is about the cheapest phone/contract you can get that in my opinion can still be called a smartphone. In fact, you can get them so cheap that they really are an entry level phone now.

The iPhone 4 was never really in the running because it is so darn expensive. I did the Pepsi challenge between the HTC Desire HD, Samsung Galaxy S and the HTC Wildfire and I picked the latter. They are all Android phones, so there was really not much difference in user experience. The Desire was the biggest, which in my opinion was its downfall. It feels like you are holding a tablet to your ear. Obviously, having such a big screen makes web stuff easier, but I’ve got my iPad for that, so it’s not really that relevant for me. The Galaxy S was a bit smaller, but still massive. The Wildfire actually felt like a phone and boy was it cheap compared to the others. That kinda swung it for me. When doing anything with the internet my preference is always, “Desktop > Laptop > iPad > Phone”, so I can’t see the phone getting much use as a smartphone, so paying through the nose for it just doesn’t seem sensible for me.

Negotiating the whole phone contract thing is a bloody nightmare. It’s like haggling with Cut -Me-Own-Throat Dibbler. Armed with lots of information from competitors websites, I ended up with the Wildfire with an unlimited data plan for less that their website was offering dumb phones with no data plans. As I said before, it really is an entry level device now.

A couple of days in and the novelty has worn off and I’m completely bored with the phone. I’m so glad I didn’t spend more money on something fancy. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Author: Tim...

DBA, Developer, Author, Trainer.

7 thoughts on “I’m an Android…”

  1. You might not be quite as bored with your phone if you got a nice, shiny, expensive one 😉

  2. Root that sucker to get tethering, and your iPad will be a lot more valuable, he said from an iPad tethered to his rooted Android in a random hotel lobby.

  3. Did I have to mention rooting makes it free? Not that I wouldn’t pay, but I don’t use it enough to warrant the $30 per month.

  4. Nice. Verizon charge an extra $30/month for tethering on top of the $30/month for the data plan. Ouch.

    One of the things the UK does waaaay better than the US: mobile/cell phones.

  5. Tons of rooting info out there. Look for your specific device, then install Wireless Tether on Google Code.

    If you feel like modding, Cyanogen CM7 looks to include the Wildfire, already in experimental builds. By modding, you’ll get the native tethering functions of Android.

    CM7 is the Gingerbread release.

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